Ukraine PM Svyrydenko resigns; Naftogaz chief tipped as successor
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko has stepped down as part of a cabinet reshuffle, but officials maintain the country's EU accession negotiations will proceed without disruption.
The Ukrainian parliament accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko on Monday, following a weekend announcement by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that a cabinet reshuffle was necessary. Zelenskyy did not name a replacement, though reports suggest the role could go to Serhii Koretskyi, the chief executive of Naftogaz, Ukraine's largest national oil and gas company.
Svyrydenko, 39, had served as prime minister since July 2025 after previously holding the economy portfolio. She was a central figure in negotiating a critical mineral agreement with the United States, a deal explicitly designed to bind American economic interests to Ukraine's long-term security. Her departure removes the primary architect of that economic alignment from the top executive post just as those agreements enter their implementation phase.
"Every day this year demanded difficult decisions and decisive action. I am deeply grateful for the trust and support I received. You also know that I have always believed results matter most," Svyrydenko said in her farewell speech. Zelenskyy stated on X that he had discussed the changes with Svyrydenko and noted she had been offered "a new and important area of relations with a key partner."
Ukrainian media has widely speculated that Svyrydenko might become the next ambassador to the United States, though this remains unconfirmed. For European investors and policymakers, the immediate concern is whether a sudden cabinet overhaul will disrupt Kyiv's institutional reform agenda or its macroeconomic stability. Taras Kachka, Ukraine's deputy prime minister for European integration, moved to calm those specific fears while speaking in Brussels on Tuesday.
"This is an unconditional priority for Ukrainian government so that the negotiations will go, and as well as a reform process," Kachka said. His remarks came ahead of the formal opening of the second chapter of Ukraine's EU accession negotiations, a section covering external relations. If Zelenskyy does appoint Koretskyi, it would place the head of Ukraine's largest energy company in charge of navigating the country's wartime economy and European integration.
